For thousands of years, ancient Mayans, ancient Aztecs and Incans have known about the amazing healing properties of the chocolate and they have used them in their daily cultural rituals as well as in their healing habits.

In fact, the seeds of raw cacao were held to be so sacred, the legends has it that the Incans used Cocoa beans as money and the ancient Incans used it like gold bullion as they filled their treasury holds with tons of cocoa beans.

Cacao is derived from Theobroma Cacao beans, which literally means "Food of the Gods". Cacao contains over 300 compounds including: protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, iron, zinc, copper, calcium and magnesium. Magnesium helps to build strong bones and is a muscle relaxant associated with feelings of calmness. Cacao is also high in sulfur, which helps form strong nails and hair.

In addition, cacao also contains the chemicals phenylethylamine (PEA) and anandamide. PEA is an adrenal-related chemical that we create naturally when we're excited. It also plays a role in feeling focused and alert because it causes your pulse rate to quicken, resulting in a similar feeling to when we are excited or fall in love!

The lipid anandamide is there in our brain when we feel great. Anandamide is also called "chocolate amphetamine" as it causes changes in blood pressure and blood-sugar levels, leading to feelings of excitement and alertness.

Anandamide works like amphetamines to increase mood and decrease depression, but it is not addictive and does not have undesirable side-effects like amphetamines. Anandamide is quite unique in its resemblance to THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), a chemical found in marijuana.

Unfortunately, nowadays the positive benefit of this wonderful superfood is not known widely. Although, everyone enjoys chocolate, people do not consume it in its raw form for the maximum benefit that they can derive from it.

Chocolate is actually one of the healthiest foods on the earth! Research is continually proving that chocolate is actually a super food. The problem is that most chocolate has been highly processed and heated, stealing all the nutrients. Raw chocolate is chocolate that has not gone through any sort of heating or processing, so all of the nutrients are still in tact.

Further, Many ingredients are added to chocolate which have a negative impact on our health. Sugar, for example, destroys the immune system, and causes diabetes, premature aging and other serious health complaints. Studies show that adding milk to chocolate cancels out all of the goodness. In addition, researchers have found that commercial chocolate can be contaminated with extremely high quantities of the toxic metal lead.


BENEFITS OF RAW CACAO

- It acts as a stimulant, so that the energy level in your body will receive a boost and you will feel better about yourself.

- It can also help to reduce chronic fatigue and general weakness caused by stress.

- Raw chocolate and raw cacao can help strengthen your cardiovascular system.

- This special superfood helps to regulate your sleep.

- Most importantly, pure chocolate directly stimulates various neurotransmitters in your brain (such as serotonin) to help reduce depression and to give a sense of euphoria or a sense of well being. Hence, your mood will be uplifted and you will feel better about yourself.

- Raw chocolate has a very high ORAC quotient. ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This is an important property, as it denotes the ability to absorb free radicals from your body. This can be a very useful concept for helping you to protect your body from carcinogens and free radicals that cause cancer.

- Raw chocolate is also considered as a mild aphrodisiac as it has shown to increase sexual appetite after regular consumption.

- Raw chocolate can also help stimulate your immune system.

NUTRIENT CONTENT

Chocolate contains more magnesium than any other food. Magnesium is the number one mineral deficiency in the west. It is the most powerful stress relieving mineral. It also relaxes the muscles and builds strong bones and teeth.

Chocolate is also power packed with antioxidants, which protect us from aging and disease. The following is a list of the foods with the highest ORAC values (the number given to foods based on their antioxidant activity):

•Unprocessed Raw Cacao - ORAC 28,000
•Acai Berries - ORAC 18,500
•Dark Chocolate - ORAC 13,120
•Prunes - 5,770
•Goji Berries - 3,472
•Pomegranates - 3,307
•Raisins - 2,830
•Blueberries - 2,400

Amazing! You can see that even heated dark chocolate has a high antioxidant level. Unfortunately, most dark chocolate has sugar added to it.

Chocolate is actually higher in the antioxidant resveratrol than red wine. The media have been giving red wine a lot of attention over the last few years because it is rich in this antioxidant, which is know for protecting cells from free radical damage and inhibiting the spread of cancer. It is also know to your lower blood pressure and normalize your anti-inflammatory response.

Chocolate is also rich in sulphur, which is the beauty mineral. Sulphur is essential for gorgeous skin, lustrous hair and strong nails.

Chocolate may help prevent cardiovascular disease in diabetics because of their high levels of flavanol. Research has shown that people with diabetes that drank flavanol rich cocoa for one month showed dramatic improvements in their blood vessel function. In fact, the improvements they noticed were as high as those found in taking drugs. Chocolate is an amazing super food for keeping your heart healthy and for improving elasticity in your blood vessels.
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SUMMARY:

Magnesium

Cacao contains massive quantities of magnesium which builds strong bones and balances brain chemistry important for a natural optimistic outlook.* Cacao contains more magnesium than any other food known! This is likely the reason that women crave chocolate more during their menstrual cycle. Of all mineral deficiencies that arise on Standard American Diet (SAD), magnesium is the the most common, with over 80% of Americans are chronically deficient in Magnesium!

MAO Inhibitors

Chocolate contains natural mild monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). These rare MAO inhibitors actually produce favorable results when consumed by allowing more serotonin and other neurotransmitters to circulate in the brain. According to Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MAO inhibitors facilitate youthing and rejuvenation.

Phenylethylamine (PEA)

Chocolate contains Phenylethylamine (PEA). PEA can increases focus and alertness and helps us feel connected to others.* Our brains naturally produce a small amount of PEA al the time and much greater amounts when we are in love. This is no doubt why chocolate and love have such a deep correlation. PEA also plays a role in increasing focus and alertness.

Anandamide (The Bliss Chemical)

Cacao also contains a wonderful natural phyto-chemical called anandamide. Ananda is the Sanskrit word for BLISS and its no coincidence that our brains naturally produce anandamide when we are feeling bliss! Cacao also contains enzyme inhibitors that increase the amount of time that anandamide anandamide can stay in circulation in your body. This allows the wonderful effects of chocolate to last a longer time.

 

 

SOURCES:
http://www.superfoodliving.com/Raw-cacao-powder.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/024769.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/022610
_cacao_chocolate_raw_cacao.html

ezinearticles.com

Massive amount of information here:
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